New on the Web 21: August 2003
We've collected information on several new reports and other resources available on the Web that we hope you'll find interesting and useful. Descriptions and links appear below.
Center for Studying Health System Change: "Unequal Access: African-American Medicare Beneficiaries and the Prescription Drug Gap"
Covering Kids & Families: "Maintaining the Gains: The Importance of Preserving Coverage in Medicaid and SCHIP"
Department of Labor: Health Benefits Advisor
Health Affairs: "Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance and Prescription Drug Coverage for New Retirees: Dramatic Declines in Five Years"
Kaiser Family Foundation: "How Do Patterns of Prescription Drug Coverage and Use Differ for White, African American, and Latino Medicare Beneficiaries Under 65 and 65+," "State-Level Poverty Data for the Medicare Population"
Kaiser Family Foundation and the National Women's Law Center: "Women's Access to Care: A State-Level Analysis of Key Health Policies"
Mathematica Policy Research: "Average Out-of-Pocket Health Care Costs for Medicare+Choice Enrollees Increase 10 Percent in 2003"
Urban Institute: "Children's Insurance Coverage and Service Use Improve," "Familiarity with Medicaid and SCHIP Programs Grows and Interest in Enrolling Children Is High"
U.S. PIRG: "Paying the Price: A 19-State Study of the High Cost of Prescription Drugs"
From the Center for Studying Health System Change:
Unequal Access: African-American Medicare Beneficiaries and the Prescription Drug Gap reports that African Americans' lower incomes, lack of supplemental insurance, and greater prevalence of certain chronic conditions all contribute to the prescription drug access gap between African American and white seniors. The authors assert that, as policy makers debate how to structure a Medicare drug benefit, designing a comprehensive benefit with minimal out-of-pocket costs for low-income elderly Americans could substantially narrow the prescription drug gap between African American and white Medicare beneficiaries. (July 2003)
From Covering Kids & Families:
While the number of low-income children with health coverage has increased over the past several years due largely to expansions of Medicaid and SCHIP (the State Children's Health Insurance Program), as the economy has weakened, some states have considered proposals that would cut eligibility levels, eliminate outreach, and remove simplification procedures. Maintaining the Gains: The Importance of Preserving Coverage in Medicaid and SCHIP presents evidence of why it is important to maintain these gains and build on them. Substantial research evidence shows that expanding enrollment in Medicaid and SCHIP has important benefits both for the children and families enrolled and for the communities in which they live. (June 2003)
From the Department of Labor:
The Health Benefits Advisor is designed to help workers and their families better understand group health benefits provided by employers and by employee organizations (such as unions) and the laws that govern them, especially when they experience changes in their life and work situations. The Advisor may also assist employers in understanding their responsibilities under the applicable laws. The site provides guidance that is general in nature and does not address health benefits offered through federal, state, or local government plans or church plans. (2003)
From Health Affairs:
Employer-sponsored health coverage is often described as the most reliable private source of Medicare supplementation for prescription drugs, but this study finds that employer coverage is becoming a less dependable source of coverage for new retirees and is likely to become even less so. Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance and Prescription Drug Coverage for New Retirees: Dramatic Declines in Five Years reports that the proportion of Medicare beneficiaries in the 65-69 age group with employer-sponsored drug coverage fell from 40 percent in 1996 to 35 percent in 2000. The authors assert that the erosion of retiree coverage, coupled with a lack of adequate alternatives, adds urgency to the current Medicare prescription drug debate. (July 2003)
From the Kaiser Family Foundation
As legislators continue their work to enact a Medicare prescription drug benefit, it is helpful to understand how beneficiaries' needs. How Do Patterns of Prescription Drug Coverage And Use Differ for White, African American, and Latino Medicare Beneficiaries Under 65 and 65+ provides a snapshot of racial and ethnic differences in Medicare beneficiaries' drug coverage, use, and spending. The summary briefly discusses the relevance of the key findings to the current policy debate about prescription drug coverage. (July 2003)
Low-income assistance is one key feature of the Medicare prescription drug bills passed by the House and Senate. State-Level Poverty Data for the Medicare Population includes tables that present national and state-level data on the number of Medicare beneficiaries who may be eligible for additional assistance based on the income eligibility thresholds specified in the House and Senate bills (135 percent, 150 percent, and 160 percent of the federal poverty level). (July 2003)
From the Kaiser Family Foundation and the National Women's Law Center:
State policies play a critical role in shaping women's access to health care. Women's Access to Care: A State-Level Analysis of Key Health Policies details state activity on a range of polices that affect women's access to care, with an emphasis on private coverage, Medicaid, and reproductive health. Specific policies covered in the report include Medicaid eligibility expansions, managed care protections, and assistance with the costs of prescription drugs. (July 2003)
From Mathematica Policy Research:
Medicare reform is at the top of the domestic policy agenda, and the role private plans will have in any reforms is a point of controversy. Average Out-of-Pocket Health Care Costs for Medicare+Choice Enrollees Increase 10 Percent in 2003 shows that M+C enrollees' out-of-pocket costs have doubled from where they stood just four years ago. This Issue Brief provides 2003 data for out-of-pocket spending by Medicare beneficiaries in M+C and other private plans, including the new PPO (preferred provider organization) demonstration plans. (August 2003)
From the Urban Institute:
Children's Insurance Coverage and Service Use Improve presents data showing that the number of uninsured children under age 19 fell from 9.6 to 7.8 million from 1999 to 2002 (an overall drop of 2.6 percentage points). This improvement was concentrated among low-income children: for such children, the rate of those without health coverage fell by almost six percentage points. Over that same period, the number of children covered by Medicaid or SCHIP (the State Children's Health Insurance Program) increased by 4.8 million to 17.4 million. (July 2003)
Familiarity with Medicaid and SCHIP Programs Grows and Interest in Enrolling Children Is High provides data showing that between 1999 and 2002, the percentage of low-income uninsured children whose parents had heard of their state's SCHIP (State Children's Health Insurance Program) program increased from 47.2 to 70.6. Among those families who were familiar with Medicaid or SCHIP, 81.7 percent of low-income, uninsured children had parents who said they would enroll their child if told the child was eligible. Unfortunately, data from this survey also show that many families remain confused about the relationship between welfare and Medicaid/SCHIP eligibility. (July 2003)
From U.S. PIRG:
While the federal government uses its buying power to negotiate fairer prices for the drugs it purchases for its beneficiaries (such as veterans), the uninsured have no one doing the same on their behalf. Paying the Price: A 19-State Study of the High Cost of Prescription Drugs presents the results of a survey of pharmacies in 18 states and the District of Columbia aimed at determining how much uninsured consumers pay for 10 common prescription drugs; these prices were then compared with those charged to the federal government. Nationally, uninsured consumers pay 72 percent more, on average, for these drugs than the federal government. (July 2003)
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